Anime Festival Singapore 2022 sees ACG fans flocking back to the event

After much anticipation, AFA 2022 is finally back in Singapore at the usual Suntec Convention Center! Needless to say the crowd is a result of pent-up demand after the last physical AFA was held way back in 2019. Three years of waiting and we are finally here!

Queue into the convention is as crazy as 2019. Day 1 and we are seeing a long queue to get ticket and getting into the hall.

This year we have exhibitors like Hakken, Genshin Impact, Bandai, Bushiroad to name a few. The creators hub is also back to show case work of many talented artists. You can support them by buying their artwork.

Cosplay Hub

The Cosplay Hub is where you can find some of the cosplayers whom you have been stalking on social media. Now you get to meet and greet live version of them! Most of them are very friendly so be sure to get a photo with them.

Follow Charechii at @charechii
Follow Riiyuukii at @riiyuukii
Follow Miho Cosplay at @facebook @instagram
Follow 貓草 Eevon cosplayer at @eevon_cosplayer

AKIBA stage is where you can take a rest (no seats provided but feel free to sit on the floor) and enjoy some performance by various human and virtual stars.

Pardon my battled brochure.

Of course, AFA is a time for cosplay! Here are some of the awesome cosplayers we have spotted.

Merchandise

No AFA will be completed without being having a haul of merchandise from your favorite anime, comic and game. Be sure to come prepared to empty your wallet (or paynow account).

Into the AFAverse

One of the cool thing of this year AFA is the inclusion of AFAverse. Essentially your wristband into the event hall has a RFID tag. At various station scattered throughout the hall, you can play games and gain coins. Coins allow you to take picture with celebrities cosplayers, play AFA catch and enjoy discounts! More information here.

Be sure to come!

AFA 2022 is happening now from 25th-27th (Fri to Sun) Nov 2022 at Suntec Convention center.

Anime Festival Asia Singapore 2022 is back in physical form.

With much anticipation, AFA 2022 is finally back in physical form at Suntec Convention after 3 years of hiatus (last held in 2019). While we still enjoy the online AFA Station TV show nothing beats jostling in a crowd full of enthusiastic Anime, Comics and Games (ACG) fans looking for merchandise to add to your collection. Here are some details on the upcoming event happening from 25th Nov to 27 Nov 2022.

Competition

J-Dance competition

There will be a brand-new J-Dance Asia competition, with the Finals taking place on November 26 at the festival grounds’ Akiba Stage.

In front of the audience, groups of 2 to 10 people will have the chance to showcase their choreography set to a Japanese music track. 

Reputable dancers from Singapore and Japan will serve as judges and perform in a unique dance display. 

The J-Dance Asia contestants have a chance to earn cash prizes worth up to S$1,000.

On 11 November 2022, registration will open at https://bit.ly/AFASG22JDance. 

Cosplay Competition

At AFASG22, the Cosplay Singles showcase competition will return.

Cosplayers can use this opportunity to display their outfits on a local stage and compete for prizes.

Exhibitors

Some key highlights of exhibitors include Anime Metaverse,Bandai, Bushiroad, Conan, Genshin Impact, Good Smile Company, Hakken!, Kotobukiya, Nissin, Valiant Force and more. There will be exclusive merchandise available for purchase.

Over at Creator Hub, you will get to see and buy work by some of the talented artists including:

  • Self-taught illustrator Rachta Lin, whose travels and experiences influences her creations; 
  • Sarah Thursday, who creates illustrations inspired by dark alternative subcultures with a deeply personal twist; and 
  • Digital artist Raiko, who paints characters from games and anime usually in a semi-realistic style.

Meet and Greet

While you can’t meet you anime waifu or husbando in real life, you can definitely meet a cosplayer counterpart! Sessions will be available with celebrity cosplayers Hakken, Charess and Ely.

AFA-verse – Gamified AFA

Visitors will for the first time get a game-like experience as soon as they enter the festival grounds. 

In order to open virtual easter eggs and gain AFA Hero XP and AFA Coins, visitors will receive a specially made NFC-capable band. 

Additionally, they can create their own Seika AFA-tar, get exclusive skins from AFA-Pitstops, or use AFA-Coins to buy limited-edition accessories.

You may get more information at 2022.animefestival.asia/afaverse

Ticketing

Fans will be able to purchase all ticket tiers, from General Admission 1-Day Exhibition to 1 Day VIP tickets online from today. Tickets start from S$21 / Day for Exhibition.

More details are available at www.animefestival.asia/singapore2022.

Stay tuned to the official site or connect on social media for the latest updates on the festival.

Anime Festival Asia Singapore 2022
Dates: 25 – 27 November 2022

Location: Suntec Singapore Convention and Exhibition Centre (Levels 3 & 4)

Exhibition Timing: 10 am ~ 8pm

Physical Comex 2022 and mask off!

Comex 2022 / GG PlayFest

1st – 4th September 2022 at Suntec Convention Center Level 4

It has been close to 3 years since we had a physical electronic show in Singapore. Before COVID, there were usually 4 of such shows held annually at locations such as Suntec and Expo. We used to complain that there are too many similar IT shows in Singapore. But after 3 years, going for one really felt refreshing! It’s like a long lost friend that you finally meet!

Comex 2022 is an event that you can attend without face mask (legally)!. Beyond the laptops and electronics, here are somethings that have caught our eyes.

GG PlayFest

A section of the show is dedicated to gaming. GG PlayFest brings you E-Sports and Gaming gears all in one place. And if you are a fan of Rurusama, catch a glimpse of her at her booth right at the end of the hall.

WEB3SG

Blockchain, NFT, POS, staking. If all these terms sound foreign to you, you might want to read up on them and get up to date with Web 3. Step into this zone to learn more about Web 3 and speak to some of the companies working on this forefront technology.

Buy now pay later model for NFTs

Cute Keyboards

Might not be super practical for work or school but definitely fun to look at.

BYD Electric Car

Not exactly a car show but I guess electric car can be considered as an electronic? Albeit one that you will need to cough up SGD 100k COE first in order to buy one. Do check out this booth if you are interested in BYD electric car. Besides driving it, you can get to feel the vehicle for yourself before deciding to buy one.

Funky chairs

After learning that the co-founder of Secretlab, makers of the famous gaming chairs, had bought a good class bungalow for $36 million, the boss of Osim probably thinks it is a good idea to go into this space as well. Osim’s booth features a Transformer theme uThrone with hand and back massage capabilities. Perfect for a pit stop if you are tired.

There are more

We don’t have time to cover everything in the show. If you miss a good old physical “IT Show”, head down to Suntec from 1st to 4th Sep 2022 and relive the days before COVID 19!